More User Reviews:

On tap at the Local in Madison, WI. Served in cheap stemmed red wine glass - the sort you would get your basket of Chianti served in if you were dining in a little Italy. Not really appropriate for beer but I was glad that I didn't get a whole pint of this as it is a rather intense brew and I wasn't really prepared for it.

Appearance: Dark brown, near black and nontransparent with a swirly tan head that resembles the Doppler of a hurricane.

Taste: Sweet and boozy. Lots of chocolate in a syrupy or Godiva liquor sort of way. Coffee comes on luscious and mouth coating too with some pretty fresh bean flavor to boot. Rye offer some twang. There is a general fruitiness that I can't yet place but might after more servings.

Mouthfeel: Robust and full bodied. Warming in a major way. Gives off the quality of being thick like a chocolate malt. Mildly biting coffee/oat bitterness offers some balance but not much. This puppy is rich and sweet with lingering sugar notes and lasting alcohol avidity.

Drinkability: This is a treat but I can't see myself having more than one in a sitting.

Style: This doesn't fit any category. I would have called it an American Porter since that American precursor seems to translate as experimental half of the time. Still, Baltic Porter fits alright since this brew is certainly big enough to be one.

Picked this up during my "make a sixer" fest in Madison. Thanks to Steve's Liquors - great people. Since then, Tyranena is in Chicago and I'm looking forward to trying more of their brews.

A: Poured from a 12oz bottle, the color is dark reddish brown - almost black. The head was small, coffee stained and creamy. It dissipated quickly to a ring and a dusting. Glows reddish when held up to the light and has some mahogany on the edges. No lacing to speak of.

S: Whiskey type burn in the rose but does also have a deep roasty malt in the background. Booze is definitely the victor in this battle though.

T: Roasty burned malt flavor which is quickly taken over by the whisky flavor. The booze attacks the palet. The finish and aftertaste is a dry, roasty, coffee/dark chocolate/vanilla with the booze sticking around. A very robust flavor. Roastiness came through stronger as the drink progressed.

M: Nice creamy mouth feel that makes the medium body feel fuller. There is a prickliness from the alcohol and low carbonation.

D: I'm someone who doesn't enjoy overly boozy beer but this was very drinkable. Having said that, I did find that the booze did get in the way of appreciating the porter aspect of the brew. Very nice beer.

Pours into my glass a deep dark black with hints of dark brown on the edges. A quarter inch of tan foam on top that leaves spotty lacing on the way down. Aromas start out with well roasted, slightly burnt, spicy malt tones. A mix of coffee and chocolate work in along with more mellow woody whiskey tones. A touch of vanilla as well. Quite robust overall. The spicy, bready nature of the rye really shines through.

First sip brings a big roasty, toasty, spicy dark malt body upfront. It moves into a mix of coffee and chocolate flavors with vanilla notes as well. Woody undertones meld in with a kiss of whiskey. As it flows down the bready, spicy rye aspect really kicks in. It finishes off dry, with a nice bitterness and a lingering whiskey afterthought. Just a good, rich brew overall.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a nice hefty chewiness brought on by the rye bill I am guessing. Slightly coarse on the palate. This one goes down smooth and is like a meal in a glass. Overall, a darn good rye porter from Tyranena. I enjoy the fact that the barrel aging accentuates it instead of taking over. I would gladly drink many more of these!

Taste: complex-dark chocolate and whiskey dominate, touches of cocoa, and light rye at the end

Mouthfeel: sweet, oaky, moderate carbonation, heavy bodied

Overall: A very slow drinker that was executed excellently. Love the complexity here. The oak and chocolate merge better here than what some other brewers have done. I would have this again, but one per night seems about right.

Pours either dark brown, or light black, however you want to look at it. Small reddish head. Smells malty. Smells of rye and whiskey as well, with a bit of chocolate. I love the rye in the taste. Also hints of chocolate, malt, a bit of coffee, and just a slight whiskey flavor on the finish. I would've liked a bit more whiskey flavor, but this is blended pretty well, however not layered really. I taste everything all at once. Mouthfeel is thin and slightly carbonate, and slightly creamy. Pretty decent porter.

This is black, not much head, but rich and tasty. I get alcohol, malt sugars, roast malt and rye in the aromas. It has rich malt tastes with deep toffee and you can taste the rye and a little coffee from the roast malts balanced by the whiskey and vanilla from the barrels.

Appearance- Pours a nice rich, opaque black out of the bottle with a thin quarter finger dark brown head sitting on top. Head dies back to a thin sheet and then sticks around for the duration of the drink.

Smell- Interesting. I get the usual notes of rich roasted malt for a porter, along with some bitter chocolate. However, the rye and rye whiskey barrel aging really show through in a unique spicy characteristic. I still haven't had that many rye related beers, so my lexicon is a bit weak in describing the exact flavors. I really like it though.

Taste- Lots of rich roasted malts, chocolate, and perhaps the slightest coffeeish taste as per the nose. Again, the rye and rye whiskey really show through in a quite interesting spiciness that lingers throughout. I like it and the beer ends on a note of warming alcohol.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability- Mouthfeel is substantial for a porter and adequately carbonated. Drinkability is decent as well, though the alcohol evident in the finish takes a bit away from it the further you get it.

Overall, a very interesting and quite delicious take on a porter. Give this one a try for its uniqueness if you get the chance.

The taste is even better, chocolate is even bigger, still the bourbon remains noticeable, yet nowhere near dominating. Smooth, bitterness stays down. A great beer for introducing people to barrel aged stuff, but also plenty decadent for experienced drinkers to have at the same time. The rye is a great experience, seems to bring out a little more sweetness with whiskey flavors, as opposed to a dry peppery when used in non barrel aged beers.

There is a reason why I trade so much rarity andwhatnot between the Bruery and the Eclipse beers out to my Wisconsin/Marquette peeps, I get a ton of great beer quantity wise. Seriously, Tyranena could put this in a 22 or 750 bottle and people would pay $15 bucks for it anyday. At like $10 for a 4 pack, this is just a phenomenal beer.

A- Jet black pour with a very impressive thick two finger head. This beer leaves some excellent lacing but the retention isn't up to par.

S- Typical of a porter lots of chocolate, pleanty of coffee. Along with some toasted malts, bordering on burnt. The rye whiskey isn't coming through to me.

T- Not nearly as bitter as a typical porter, much sweeter. Again pleanty of chocolate. I'm pretty disappointed with the barrel aging process this beer went through, it either need more time in the barrels or it was blended to weakly. When the label says whiskey barrel aged I expect to get a hint of it, even a flash of alcohol hotness. But not with this beer, this doesn't make it a bad tasting beer but it didn't meet my expectations.

M- Good and smooth with some appropriate carbonation.

D- Porters are always very drinkable beers, this is not and exception. Tyranena has made a lot of good porters and this is one of them, I was just a little let down by the labels.

A- This beer pours a deep opaque brown body with a thin web of white had the develops into a thick foam of light tan. There is a soft carbonation of tiny bubbles that glide of the side of the glass. The head last for a few sips.

S- The smell of old wet wood has a slight sweet nutty quality and a dry burnt caramel note.

T- The taste of soft brown malt has a soft roasted bitterness to it and a slight spicy bite. The notes of soft wet wood and very faint bourbon hint give way to a slight salty roasted malt finish.

M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel with a slightly full yet slippery texture and an almost peroxide fizz at the finish. There is no alcohol heat noticed.

D- This beer has a mellow soft roasted malt flavor and not really the punch in the mouth that I would expect from a beer by this name.

Poured a dark black color with a half finger of beige head on it. Some ok lacing as well. Smell is nice - some smoked rye and malt and a hint of coffee coming through. Taste is good as well. Heavy malt up front with some bitter coffee on the finish. Mouthfeel is very heavy. This is a thick beer but it tastes great and goes down smooth. I really like this beer a lot. Not sure if it's only served at the brewery but I'll be back again for this one.